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After learning earlier this week that he will not be prosecuted for a domestic violence incident that took place in New Jersey earlier this offseason, Ravens running back Ray Rice is ready to break his silence.

The 27-year-old is scheduled to address the media at the Ravens’ training facility in Owings Mills at 3 p.m. on Friday afternoon and will be accompanied by his wife, Janay, according to a team release. Rice was accepted into a pretrial intervention program earlier this week, which means he will avoid going to trial and will not face any prison time for third-degree aggravated assault.

The Ravens are scheduled to begin their first session of organized team activity workouts next week and would like to avoid media attention focusing solely on Rice’s case, making Friday’s press conference logical from a timing standpoint. However, Rice and the organization still await word from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on any potential fine or suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Rice has yet to speak publicly about the incident that occurred at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City on February 15. He and his then-fiancée were both initially charged with simple assault-domestic violence before the grand jury indicted Rice on a more serious charge and dismissed the charge against Janay Palmer in late March. The original police report said Rice and Palmer struck one another with their hands and the former rendered his fiancée unconscious.

A day after being indicted on a more serious charge of third-degree aggravated assault, Ravens running back Ray Rice married his fiancée Janay Palmer, according to multiple reports.

After allegedly being involved in a physical altercation on Feb. 15 in which they both struck each other with their hands and Rice rendered Palmer unconscious, the couple has been going to therapy and counseling. Both were originally charged with simple assault-domestic violence before an Atlantic County, N.J. grand jury brought the more serious charge against Rice and dismissed the charge against Palmer.

According to The Sun, Rice and Palmer getting married will not allow the latter to invoke spousal privilege as there is an exception in New Jersey law when the spouse is the alleged victim. A third-degree aggravated assault conviction carries a potential three-to-five-year prison sentence.

Reactions against Rice have been very strong over the last six weeks as Buffalo Bills linebacker Brandon Spikes took to Twitter on Saturday to accuse the 27-year-old of marrying Palmer to help his image.

“I don’t see how anyone can respect him. Put your hands on a woman,” Spikes wrote on his official account. “The woman that had [your] child. Someone should choke him out. See how he likes it.”

The Ravens have maintained their support for Rice throughout the legal process as owner Steve Bisciotti and coach John Harbaugh reiterated earlier this week that the running back would remain with the organization in 2014. They released the following statement on Thursday following news of the indictment:

“This is part of the due process for Ray. We know there is more to Ray Rice than this one incident.”

Ravens running back Ray Rice was indicted on an aggravated assault charge stemming form an incident that occurred at an Atlantic City casino last month, acting Atlantic County prosecutor Jim McClain announced Thursday.

The 27-year-old allegedly struck and rendered his fiancee, Janay Palmer, unconscious in the Revel Casino on Feb. 15 and was initially arrested and charged with simple assault-domestic violence. However, the case was referred to the prosecutor’s office for further review as Palmer was also charged with simple assault-domestic violence for allegedly striking Rice.

Prosecutors presented the case to the grand jury, which handed down the more serious charge of third-degree aggravated assault “for attempting to cause significant body injury, and/or purposely or knowing causing such injury, and/or recklessly causing such injury under extreme indifference to the value of human life.” The charge carries a potential three-to-five year prison sentence with a conviction.

The original charge against Palmer was dismissed.

“On behalf of Ray Rice we vehemently deny that Mr. Rice committed an aggravated assault,” Rice’s attorney, Michael Diamondstein, told The Press of Atlantic City on Thursday. “Both Mr. Rice and Miss Palmer are together, they are happy, and they’re in counseling.”

The attorney also expressed that neither Rice nor Palmer want to move forward with the case.

The Ravens have stood by Rice since last month’s evidence became public with owner Steve Bisciotti saying earlier this week that the troubled running back would remain with the team in 2014. Head coach John Harbaugh echoed Bisciotti’s sentiment at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando on Tuesday.

The organization released the following statement on Thursday afternoon regarding the indictment:

“This is part of the due process for Ray. We know there is more to Ray Rice than this one incident.”

League commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that the NFL was continuing to monitor the case but expressed that there was no timetable on any potential discipline being handed down to the seventh-year running back.